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US women's soccer team beats Brazil 1-0 for gold medal

(AP) - They came to the Beijing Olympics as a team
trying to find its way, still adjusting to a new coach and each
other, still smarting from a loss that brought humiliation on and
off the field.

They dropped their first game, hardly an auspicious start for a
country that had lost only one other in three Olympics. But bit by
bit, game by game, they came together, figuring out what it would
take to win.

On Thursday night, the U.S. women's soccer team stood as one,
Olympic gold medals around their necks, champions once again.

"Vindicated? I feel great, I feel amazing. I just won a gold
medal," said goalkeeper Hope Solo, whose banishment at last year's
World Cup symbolizes the struggles these Americans have had and
without whom they wouldn't have won this game.

Solo made save after save to keep the United States in the game,
and Carli Lloyd scored in the sixth minute of extra time to give
the United States a 1-0 victory over Brazil and the gold medal for
a third time in four Olympics.

It was the first victory in a major tournament for new coach Pia
Sundhage, who took over less than nine months ago.

"It was hard, and this win wasn't just down to my goal," Lloyd
said. "It was only achievable with the team we have and that we
played for each other."

United now, the Americans were ripped apart at last year's World
Cup, also in China.

Though Solo had allowed only two goals in four World Cup starts
and had a shutout streak of nearly 300 minutes going, then-coach
Greg Ryan decided to sit her for the semifinal against Brazil and
play veteran Briana Scurry. The move was a disaster, and the United
States - a favorite to win the tournament - was humbled 4-0, its
worst loss ever at a World Cup.

Solo lashed out at Ryan, and was banished. A month later, Ryan
was fired.

"I went through hell. A lot of people did," Solo said. "But I
feel stronger in the end. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm glad I
went though it. I learned a lot about myself."

And she has a gold medal as the result.

After the game ended, Solo sprinted back out onto the field, a
gaudy imitation gold medal around her neck, a phone to her ear and
a bright smile on her face.

She closed her eyes when the national
anthem began playing, and bounced proudly and gripped her medal
when the team posed for pictures afterward.

A few fans in the crowd chanted, "We want Hope! We want Hope!"

"I asked two questions: Do you want to win? Yes. Do you need
goalkeepers to win? Yes," Sundhage said. "We had to move on, and
this day you could see that we did it."

Emotion poured from the Americans at the final whistle. They
charged to the middle of the field, screaming in celebration. A few
grabbed American flags and sprinted to the U.S. fans in the stands.
Mostly though, they beamed, those long months of tension and
uncertainty suddenly far away.

"This is such a reward for nine months of hard, hard work and
soul-searching after the World Cup," Kate Markgraf said.

For the Brazilians, it was yet another bitter disappointment,
the third consecutive time they've been the runner-up at a top
event. They outplayed the Americans in the 2004 final, too, and
lost in extra time. They also fell to Germany in the World Cup
final last year.

As jubilant as the Americans were, the Brazilians were just as
despondent. Goalkeeper Barbara lay on her back when the game ended,
sobbing, while Cristiane sat on the ground crying.

"I have no idea why we can't win a final," said Marta, who
sobbed when she got her silver medal, her lip quivering. "It's
something I'm gonna keep asking myself for a long time. You keep
asking what you did wrong."

The two-time FIFA Player of the Year has nothing to regret. Her
speed and control mesmerized the American defenders, and her
cat-like quickness allowed her to get to balls no other player
would have come close to.

She was credited with six shots on goal,
but she seemed to be in Solo's personal space more often than a
pickpocket.

"I'm more mad than sad," Marta said. "Again we had a chance
to win the gold and again we let it slip away. It's hard to say why
that keeps happening to us."

Though the Americans arrived in Beijing as the world's top team,
they were far from favorites for gold. They lost top defender Cat
Whitehill in June, when she tore up her left knee. In the final
tuneup before Beijing, leading scorer Abby Wambach broke her leg.
Then they lost their opener, giving up two goals in the first few
minutes to Norway.

This was not, it was clear, a team like the United States had
grown accustomed to in the days of Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, who
played together so long, they knew each other's every move.

But Sundhage's calming presence bolstered the Americans. Their
offense wasn't always a thing of beauty, but they found ways to win
games.

"We are not looking at the results, but on how we play,"
Sundhage said. "Soccer is not a matter of 1-0 or 2-0, it's the way
to find out the rhythm. The match against Norway is our key point
in the tournament. ... We found out our weak points and improved
it. That's why we stand here with the gold medal."

"Brazil is a fantastic team, and they have many great
individuals," Markgraf said. "But they didn't put away their
chances tonight. We had one."